13 March 2023 New flagship science facility named Waimarie

Lincoln University has revealed the te reo word Waimarie as the official name of its 9450 sq metre flagship science facility, now entering the final stages of construction.

Gifted to Lincoln University by Te Taumutu Rūnanga, the name Waimarie celebrates kā puna Waimarie – the bountiful lakes – and marks the new building as a facility that will foster great leadership, inspire productivity and become a nexus for the transmission of intergenerational knowledge.

Waimarie is one of a suite of names gifted to the University by Te Taumutu Rūnanga to identify the new building and many of the spaces within as belonging to the cultural narrative of Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki and Ngāi Tahu in the Lincoln area.

Waimarie

Landing at Whakatū (Nelson), *Rākaihautū travelled by land southward. Along the way he used his digging stick Tūwhakaroria to dig the many lakes and waterways, ‘kā puna karikari’, throughout the island. The phrase ‘kā puna karikari’ recognises the three types of springs or waterways dug by Rākaihautū – Puna Hauaitu, Puna Waimarie and Puna Karikari.

The name Waimarie references kā puna waimarie, the bountiful lakes. The new building will be a facility which inspires and produces a bounty of rangahau and mātauranga about our whenua and for our whenua.

The names given to various meeting rooms and spaces within the new building align with the cultural narrative and come from the listing of species significant to Ngāi Te Ruahikihki and Ngāi Tahu.

*When the first people to settle in Te Waipounamu, the South Island, came aboard the Urao, a canoe captained by explorer, Rākaihautū. With his kō or digging stick, named Tūwhakaroria, Rākaihautū travelled south, digging out the lakes and rivers in Te Waipounamu.

 A science facility for the ages

Replacing Lincoln University’s former earthquake-damaged science buildings, Waimarie is the University’s flagship science facility, and will be a new fit-for-future learning and research centre located in the north-eastern corner of campus.

The University received $80 million in Crown funding for the Waimarie construction project, which kicked off with a ground-breaking ceremony in February 2021 and is due for practical completion in July 2023.

Waimarie will be home to Lincoln University’s Department of Pest Management and Conservation, the Department of Soil and Physical Sciences, AGLS professional staff including faculty administration, Bioprotection Aoteroa and other research partnerships.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Grant Edwards, said Waimarie will be a science facility for the ages.

Architect illustration: open laboratory workspace

“Waimarie will be an epicentre for education and research in the land-based disciplines, as well as a hub for inter-organisational partnerships, industry-wide collaborations and centres of excellence.

“Waimarie will be a beacon for students, researchers, teaching and professional staff and other land-based sector leaders from all over Aotearoa and globally.

“The challenges facing today’s food and fibre producers are manifold and profound, and we are proud to deliver this new facility where we can further advance our commitment to equip future generations with the skills and knowledge to shape a better future.”

Waimarie will feature state-of-the-art teaching, research and collaboration spaces complemented by multi-use adjustable workstations and social zones, all set within a biodiverse park-like environment.

An expansive ground-floor café will form a central hub where Lincoln University staff and students will be able to mix and mingle with campus visitors and employees from the co-located AgResearch facility, also currently under construction.

Architect illustration: ground floor café 

In line with the University’s sustainable infrastructure goals, the new building will have a minimal environmental impact; incorporating roof- and wall-mounted solar arrays, a ground-sourced heating/cooling system and a rainwater-fed toilet flushing system in the design. 

Waimarie will have 417 solar panels

The new science facility is part of Lincoln University’s wider Campus Development Programme which has delivered major projects such as a vibrant and bustling new student hub, the redevelopment of Whare Hākinakina Lincoln University Gym and the opening of an agricultural science building in July 2021.

Further campus projects including an ambitious and extensive decarbonisation programme which supports the University’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2030 and to cease the combustion of coal by 2024, the restoration of Ivey West and Memorial Hall and an overarching visionary landscaping masterplan, are in various stages of development.

For media enquiries email media@lincoln.ac.nz or phone 03 325 3827